Tales of Symphonia: Reversed
by Lily Badens
Summary: What if Lloyd was thrust into Mithos' shoes, before the Kharlan War? Would he be the same idealistic hero he is? Probably not.    This story centers on our new hero, Emil, and his bestfriend/crush, Marta, as they travel for the Journey of Regeneration.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Yo. Been a while since I wrote here and stuff… This idea's been in my mind for a long time, and finally its first chapter is done. *Whoo!* Forgive me if it looks a bit choppy in the fight scenes, or basically everything. This is my first time in nearly a month or so to write fanfics again, nonetheless of a new series I like.**

**This chapter will just introduce our three main characters (the ones who will be replacing Lloyd, Genis and Colette that is), the Temple scene will be next chapter.**

**I own nothing!**

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><p><em>Once upon a time, there existed a giant tree that was the source of mana.<em>

Emil felt like falling asleep. True that he didn't listen much to the lecture before, but the legend of the Giant Tree and Lloyd the Hero sounds more like it's made from the stuff that fairy tales are made of. Either that or he was led to believe it is such...

_But a war caused the tree to wither away, and a hero's life was sacrificed.__  
><em>

"I'll close my eyes for just a few minutes," Emil muttered to himself as he felt his eyelids droop "I'm sure Mithos wouldn't mind..."

_Grieving over the loss, the goddess disappeared unto the heavens__.__ The goddess left the angels with this edict…_

Emil didn't hear the rest of the legend anymore. He was sound asleep; his face nestled unto the black scarf that became his makeshift pillow.

"... Marked the beginning of the Regeneration of the World." Mithos finished. As the young elf closed the book, he noticed that a certain friend of his, the same one who asked to be tutored, was sleeping.

"Why you no good..." Mithos growled lowly, his soft blue eyes attempting to pierce through Emil's skull. After the ridiculous attempt, he settled for his brother Yggdrasill's method: he smacked the older boy's head with the heaviest hard-bound book he could find. Luckily for Mithos, and unfortunately for Emil, that surely woke him up.

"Gah!" Emil's emerald eyes widened as a pain that resembled being hit against a wall settled in. Once his blurry vision became clear, he found himself staring face-to-face with an angry Mithos.

"O-Oh, hey Mithos..." Emil stuttered.

"Don't you 'Oh hey Mithos' me!" the young elf shouted back at the nervous teen, slamming the table as he did. "You were the one who kept insisting, and insisting, me to teach you, and the moment that I finally agree and do so, you SLEEP ON ME!"

"I-I'm sorry…?"

"Sorry won't cut it this time, Emil Castagnier!" Emil winced as his young friend was about to reach the peak of his infamous temper. "I've held back on pouncing that face of yours for too long! And I don't care if everyone will end up seeing this; I'm so gonna stuff a damn fireball up your-"

"Stop it!"

Both Emil and Mithos turned around to see Marta looking at them with slight exasperation and, although not much evident on her face, weariness.

"First things first," Marta started, "Emil, you should stick to whatever you want to do and not just slack off in the end. And then you, Mithos; you shouldn't let your emotions take you over like that. Both of you are close friends! You shouldn't bicker like it's a daily basis!"

"Sorry Marta…" Mithos said, his head hung low.

"I believe it's not me who you should be apologizing to." The girl stated, her eyes pointing at the boy who just plainly looked at her.

Sighing, the elf forced himself to look at Emil and said, with a hint of resentment, "I'm sorry for getting angry at you like that, Emule…"

"Ahem?"

"I mean, Emil…"

"It's alright." Emil quickly said, his eyes still glued to the girl in front of him. "And Marta, I think you've forgotten something."

"Hm? What is it, Emil?" Marta asked, confused of what she had forgotten, if she did forget something.

"Mithos and I…aren't friends." Emil stated with a serious look on his face, gaining shocked and surprised reactions from both Marta and Mithos.

"W-What?" The two gaped at the teen. _Is he kidding? _Mithos thought, worried that he had actually found out something that he himself was hiding. _That's not right, _Marta said inside her head, _Emil isn't the kind to think like that._

"Mithos and I aren't friends, because…we're BEST friends" Emil grinned, "Also, Marta, you're our best friend too, so don't just exclude yourself from your own sentence like that."

"Why you…" Mithos started to growl, but instead punched the older boy on the arm. "Don't just say stuff like that with that serious expression! It scared us!" Marta, on the other hand, ended up cracking a smile and giggled,

"You're right. How silly of me to forget that", which caused Emil to blush.

"A-Anyways," Emil said, shaking off the fluttering in his stomach "today's the day you will receive the Oracle right?"

"Yup." Marta nodded, smiling as she did. "I'll finally be able to save the world."

"Hmm…Judging by the time you got here, I'd say many of the townspeople were giving you their best wishes and all that for the journey?" Mithos bluntly asked.

The girl nodded, revealing for a short moment, though undetected by the two boys, her frown. "They all really want me to succeed."

"Well of course you idiot." Emil said, startling Marta. "They want you to be safe on your journey, and that when it's all over, you'd come back to us!"

"Yeah, what he said." Mithos nodded in agreement. Marta didn't know whether to cry or keep quiet, so the next thing the two boys said to her was a complete surprise.

"Happy Birthday Marta!" Both Emil and Mithos greeted, at the same time bringing out two small pouches which were their gifts.

"O-Oh! Thank you!" Marta said in surprise, not expecting the greeting or the gifts. Since the moment she stepped out of her house, the people of Iselia were already lined up to greet her. Not for her birthday though, but to congratulate her, as the Chosen, for finally reaching the age of sixteen so that she could start on the journey of Regeneration.

"Here!" Mithos said as he gave his gift to Marta "I baked you some cookies. It's your favorite too! Strawberry-filled cookies…"

"…with a dash of mint." Marta finished, her face practically glowing. "Thank you Mithos, I love it! The three of us should eat this together after classes."

The little boy grinned, happy that his friend is happy as well. He turned to nudge Emil, who was busy watching Marta.

"H-Huh? Oh right, h-here's my gift for you, Marta." Emil stuttered, fidgeting as he talked "It's that secret project I've been working on. I'm sorry I was keeping it hidden from you."

Marta's eyes widened as she opened the small pouch, revealing a simple necklace, with a gem that resembled a ruby studded at its center. She was quite at a loss for words. Mithos merely rolled his eyes.

"Women…" he muttered. Emil merely smiled, glad that all his efforts were worth it.

As Marta was putting on the necklace, she suddenly asked out of the blue, "Where is the professor anyways? He's never this late…"

"Oh, about that" Mithos said, twirling a lock of his hair, "Yggy said that he was going to be a little preoccupied today, so he told us to study on our own."

"Is it alright for you to call your own brother that nickname?" Emil asked.

"Yeah, he's fine with it. It was either that, or we both be called Mithos." The younger boy quipped, wondering why he was named Mithos when his older brother was already named Mithos as well. He even ended up wondering why he was only wondering of this just now.

"I see…" was Emil's only reply.

After a short silence, a bright light had grabbed the attention of everyone present in the room. Some shielded their eyes from the intensity of the light, while others let themselves be temporarily blinded by it.

"W-What was that…?" Emil asked to no one in particular. Marta knew the answer to that, although it was what she hoped for it not to be.

"That…That came from the temple." She said. "It's time for me to accept the Oracle."

As Marta headed for the door, she was stopped by Emil.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Emil asked in a stern tone.

"Emil, that light came from the Colette Temple." Marta said "As the Chosen of Regeneration, I must go accept it."

"Alone?"

"I can manage on my own."

"No way am I letting you go there all by yourself."

"What? Emil…"

"Mithos and I are going with you. Right, Mithos?" Emil grinned at the surprised Mithos.

"You want me to go too?" The young elf asked, surprised.

"Of course! You don't want Marta to go all by herself now, do you?"

"…Fine." The blue-cladded teen grinned once again as he saw the younger boy's defeated look. Marta couldn't help but smile.

"Shall we get going then?" She asked. The two boys nodded as she once again headed for the door.

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><p>"What…happened here?"<p>

As the trio stepped out of the school, they were shocked at what they ended up finding. Some of the plants were stomped on; some of the signposts were completely destroyed, but what topped it all off was that the village was completely silent and desolate. There was not a single soul outside their homes, save for the trio.

"Marta!" a man who appeared to be in his late thirties ran to the group. "Thank the goddess…you're safe."

"Father!" Marta exclaimed as she was pulled into a hug by her father.

"Frank, what happened? Why is Iselia…?" Mithos asked.

"Some Desians just passed by a while ago. Fortunately, they didn't harm anyone." Frank replied.

"Where are they headed now?" Emil interjected.

"They were headed for that direction." The man pointed.

"But that's…" Emil's eyes widened as he realized the location.

"That's where we're headed!" Mithos finished his friend's sentence.

"I can't risk you kids going there on your own…" Frank muttered.

"But father…I must go." Marta stated hesitantly.

"Don't worry Frank." Emil said "We'll protect Marta until she reaches the Temple of Colette."

"But…"

"Please trust us." Mithos said, looking at Frank innocently.

Giving in, the man sighed. "Well, I suppose I could." He said "You three be careful, alright? If anything happens, come back to our place and I'll heal you."

"Yes sir." The three nodded. As they waved goodbye to Frank, they continued on to the Temple of Colette. But, there's just one problem before they even reached the outskirts of Iselia:

"Wah! A monster!" Mithos exclaimed as they saw they were being approached by a zombie.

"Tch. Looks like we'll have to defeat it if we want to continue on." Emil said. "Both of you prepare yourselves!" He commanded as he brought out his wooden sword from its sheath.

"Right!" Marta and Mithos nodded as they brought out their respective weapons, a dual spinner and a kendama.

The zombie gave out a gurgled growl as it attempted to swipe at the three. Both Marta and Mithos jumped back, while Emil quickly sidestepped the attack and began to slash the monster. Mithos stood back as far as possible and began to cast a spell, a glyph forming beneath his feet.

"Marta! Help me out here!" Emil called out as he pushed away the zombie that was inches from his face. Marta nodded, jumping in and slashing the undead monster with her saw-like weapon.

"Fire Ball!" Mithos shouted out as he unleashed fireballs directed toward the zombie. Emil and Marta jumped out of the way, letting the zombie take on the searing ball of flames. As the zombie shriveled into ashes, along with a horrible stench filling the air, Emil checked up on his two companions.

"I'm fine!" Marta called back.

"Same here." Mithos said.

"That's good." Emil smiled wearily. He was unaware though of the ghost that's creeping up behind him, causing Marta to jump in front of him and kick the monster.

"M-Marta?" Emil asked in surprise.

"Pay attention!" the girl shouted at his face before pointing out to the ghost that was temporarily stunned by the kick. She then proceeded to commanding Mithos to focus on the ghost, while she and Emil pound on its zombie companion.

_Man, Martmart can be real bossy when she wants to…_Mithos thought to himself as he focused on the surrounding mana unto the spell. The chosen herself, however, was in a tight spot as she kept being pounded on by the ghost with its hammers. While she was aware of that, she was quite unaware of the zombie behind her.

"Marta, look out!" Marta looked up just in time to see Emil blocking a zombie from attacking her. "Demon Fang!" Emil cried out as a blast of energy coming from his sword cut the zombie in half. As Mithos finished off the ghost with a Spread attack, Emil proceeded in scolding Marta.

"You should be more careful Marta! Who knows what would've happened to you if I wasn't there to save you?" he snapped, not noticing the tears forming in the girl's eyes.

"I'm sorry…I didn't mean to…" Marta quivered.

"…" Emil's eyes misted as he realized his mistake. "N-No Marta, I should be sorry. I shouldn't have shouted at you like that. Please don't cry…"

"Great, just great Emil. Now look at what you did." Mithos said, sarcasm dripping in his voice. Emil glowered at the young mage, and then proceeded to hug Marta, which caused her to blush a bright red like the hem of her skirt.

"I'm sorry…" Emil said in an almost pleading voice.

"Aww…you know I can't stay mad at you, Emil~" Marta said, quickly forgiving the boy.

_Phew, that's one situation averted… _Emil said to himself. Mithos merely smirked at him.

"Hey, if you two are done there," the elf called out "we should get going."

"Right." Emil nodded in agreement. Looking at Marta, he asked "So, am I forgiven?"

"Yes. I'm sorry Emil." Marta replied.

"I just told you Marta. I'm the one who should be sorry."

"Oh, um…sorry."

"Stop saying sorry, Marta."

"Sorry."

"Oh goddess…" Mithos sighed, watching the two as if all hope were lost.

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><p><strong>AN: So…how was it? Please review! Up next is the Temple of Colette! (Hehe…it's funny saying it like that) Richter's appearance! The person replacing Botta! ...Should I even replace Botta or let him keep his role?**

**And also, while I'm at it, most of the characters that I'm using here don't even have a liked or disliked food. Help me out with this! The characters who need a taste right now are Emil, Marta, Mithos, Yggdrasill and Richter. Leave in the review what you think suits them~**

**Anyways, hope you enjoyed!**


	2. Chapter 2

"Say Marta, just why do you own a spinner as a weapon?"

As the trio continued on to the Temple of Colette, Emil tried to divert his attention from boredom by asking their Chosen friend a few questions.

"Emil, this is really not the time for Qs & As." Mithos sighed as his little blue pools were still looking around, wary of any more monster attacks. His older friend looked at him and replied, "I know, but I'm just curious is all. I mean, for sure the priests would never allow Marta here to have something as sharp or deadly like the spinner as a weapon."

"That's true..." the young mage muttered.

"Oh. That's a rather easy thing to answer." Marta said, a grin spreading across her face. "It's because when I was around ten, I met this lumberjack who was cutting wood with a circular saw. I was amazed at it that I had begged the priests to make me a weapon that resembled it."

Emil sweatdropped as he recalled. "Well, that explains the reason why a priest went to Dad that day... It was to make you that weapon." Marta nodded. "I just like the way circular saws move." She was received with confused and bewildered stares by both Mithos and Emil. "What? Don't judge me!"

"But that kinda doesn't explain why you add in kicks whenever you attack. I thought that the priests would go all 'That is inappropriate for the Chosen to do!', and such." Mithos said, mimicking the priests.

"Well, I guess you can thank Emil for that. I usually see him add a few kicks here and there whenever he does training." The Chosen replied shrugging her shoulders as Emil blushed lightly.

"But how about the Temple? What's it like inside?" Mithos asked, his childlike curiosity taking over. Emil smirked inwardly, noticing how the tables got turned for him and Mithos.

"Well," Marta began, "For one thing, it's really dark, because hardly any sunlight gets through." Mithos' eyes widened. "Whoa, that's not quite what I was expecting..." he said.

"But then again," the Chosen added, "I've never been to the inner part either." Emil hummed. "I can't wait to see what the inside of the Temple looks like!" He said to himself, with Marta giggling and Mithos muttering "If only you could keep up that enthusiasm when we get there…"

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><p>As they arrived at the steps of the temple, the light was still pouring from the skies and into the structure. They also noticed a priest stumbling down the stairs. Emil was the first one to react and rush to the elder.<p>

"H-Hey! What happened?" The boy asked as he propped the priest into a sitting position. He noticed that the man had his right arm, soaked in crimson, clutching his stomach area.

The priest spoke, coughing out blood as he did so. "The Desians…invaded the temple…Phaidra is still up there…" He looked up at the Chosen and added, "I'm sorry…that I will not be able to assist the Chosen…in her journey…" With a dying breath, he closed his eyes, never to open them again.

"No!" The three children cried out in unison as the man who lay before them was devoid of life. After they had given the priest a proper burial, Marta said out of the blue, "I must go and accept the Oracle." Mithos quickly turned to look at Emil. "Surely you're not gonna let her go there by herself?" The older boy merely said, "Of course not." Then, turning to the Chosen, he said, "I…Mithos and I are not letting you go alone. We're going together." The girl hid a blush that was rather evident and smiled.

"Thank you."

"Alright, let's go!" Emil said as the trio began to climb up the stairs of the temple. As they finally reached the top, they were greeted by the scene of Marta's grandmother, Phaidra, being cornered by two Desian grunts, along with a robed man who seemed to be the leader of them.

"I will ask you once more: Where is the Chosen?" The man asked, irritation slowly making its way into his voice. The old woman was still blocking the entrance, being rather brave despite knowing that these half-elves are ready to kill her by a flick of their leader's wrist. With her ancient eyes, she had spotted her granddaughter Marta, along with her two friends just behind the Desians.

"…!" She had wanted to call out to Marta, to cry out that she needed to get away, but if she were to, she'd end up endangering her.

Unfortunately, the Desians had figured it out and quickly turned around to face the girl and her acquaintances.

"Chosen, your life is mine." The man said as he commanded the grunts to seize her. Emil had stepped in-between them, a rather poor wooden sword in his right hand. "I won't let you Desians get away with anything!" The boy growled menacingly, getting into a battle pose.

One of the grunts laughed. "Desians? Hahahaha!"

"What's so funny?" Mithos demanded, preparing his kendama. The grunt that laughed smirked. "…Then die by the hands of the Desians you so hate."

The Desian grunt and his partner brandished their swords and rushed toward the children, knowing that they would emerge victorious from this petty battle.

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><p>"H-How…?" The grunt had fallen, defeated by a group of kids.<p>

"We did it!" Emil cheered, Marta and Mithos following soon after. Their celebration was short-lived however, when the two grunts they had just defeated backed up, and a rather menacing man, swinging a ball and chain around like it was nothing, appeared.

"Get rid of them Vidarr." They heard the 'robed man' say. The scary warrior, whose name is Vidarr, began throwing the weight of the metal ball towards the trio. As they stepped back, he stepped forth, getting ready to pancake the children in the way of the Desians.

"Fireball!" Mithos cried out as his kendama released balls of flames toward the Desian. Seeing that their enemy was slightly fazed, Emil and Marta quickly began attacking him, Mithos joining soon after. These just irritated Vidarr and swat the three off of him, like they were pesky fleas.

As the three landed roughly on the ground, the only things they saw were a very large shadow, and the man who was casting said shadow. "Huff…T-This guy's strong…" Mithos said, quivering like a leaf. "He's too powerful…"

Emil looked up to see a spiked ball heading towards him. He closed his eyes, waiting for the fatal blow, but it never came. Instead, he heard a clang of metal.

"H-Huh?"

He opened his eyes to see an auburn-haired man, sword in hand, with his back turned to him. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Emil ended up finding himself thinking. Wondering why, despite he has just met this man today, nonetheless his back just being shown, the man looked strangely familiar. "Who…are you?" He found himself saying. Piercing jade eyes met the boy's line of vision.

"Get out of the way."

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><p><strong>AN: Augh! I don't know what to write in this part anymore! Hopefully chapter 3 will be much better.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Ack! Sorry this took so long! College happened and... yeah. Anyways, here's chapter 3!**

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><p>"Wow…he's strong!" Mithos watched on as the strange newcomer simply blocked the giant Desian's mace with a simple swish of his sword.<p>

"Very strong!" Marta commented as she watched him stab the Desian on the chest, causing the gargantuan to topple over.

"Y-Yeah…I guess so." Emil muttered, still focused on the man's back. _Why does he look so familiar? _He thought to himself as the redhead sheathed his sword, now having a stare-off with the robed man, who looked less than pleased. "Damn, I never thought you'd show up. Retreat for now!" he commanded.

"But sir, what about Vidarr?" one of the grunts asked, looking down at the defeated giant.

"Carry him." The robed man (whom we still can never find out who) replied with a tone of concern, helping the other Desian soldiers carry their fallen comrade and make their exit. As the trio stood up from the ground, Phaidra had begun thanking the mysterious man.

"Oh, how can I ever thank you for saving the Chosen?" she said. The man casually looked over his shoulder, finally taking notice of the other two children (one he had not much the pleasure of meeting), and his gaze falling on the girl. _She does bear quite a resemblance, _he thought. Facing the old woman, he said "So that girl is the next Chosen…" And as if a switch was flicked on, Marta beamed and clasped her hands. "Oh right! Grandma, I have to go and accept the Oracle now." In a quick motion, she had grabbed the older teen's hand. "C'mon Emil, let's go!"

"W-Wait!" Emil exclaimed. Though it went unnoticed, the man's irises widened at the mention of the boy's name. "Your name's…Emil?" he asked. Confused, the mentioned teen looked at the man straight and replied "Y-Yeah but … who are you to ask for my name?"

"…" the man paused, looking once again at Phaidra with a pair of irises that have gone back to normal size. "…I am Richter, a mercenary. And as long as you can pay me, I will accept the task of guarding the Chosen." The wise woman looked at her granddaughter, and back at the mercenary named Richter before sighing heavily.

"Under the circumstances…" she started, "I could do nothing but agree. Richter, I leave you with the task. The life of the Chosen is upon you."

"Wait a minute Phaidra!" Emil said, rather angry this time "Don't tell me you're just going to leave Marta with some stranger! Who knows what he'll do to her!"

Richter ended up making a snide comment that was unheard by the people present, while Phaidra looked on at both Emil and Mithos. "You two better go home."

"I agree. This is no job for children." The mercenary added, fuelling the already shaking Emil. The nerve of this man! To dismiss them so casually… just who does he think he is?!

"Fine then, I'll just follow you on my own." Emil smirked, finding a loophole to this petty argument. Richter grunted in frustration. Ha! Just what Emil had wanted! A reaction from the man!

"You're a stubborn kid" the redhead man said, pushing his glasses up as he turned to enter the temple. "Fine, do whatever you want. I'm not responsible for whatever happens to you." With a quick motion, he motioned Marta to follow, said girl catching up to him.

"Well, let's go Mithos." The teen said to the young elf, causing the said elf to step back in surprise.

"W-What?! You want me to go too?"

"Of course! Do you want to leave Marta alone with that guy?"

Mithos shook his head in frustration. "You're just saying that because you're scared Marta might fall for that guy." Saying that caused Emil to blush madly, stuttering an 'I am not!' before running into the temple, Mithos following suit with a big smirk on his face.

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><p>"Wow…So this is what it looks like inside the temple…" Emil mused out loud, looking around the area like a little kid. But it wasn't just him acting like that though; Mithos and Marta did the same as well, since it was the first they saw the inside of this place of worship in a different light.<p>

"This isn't a field trip you know." The only adult in the group stated, crossing his arms. Howls from monsters can be heard, echoing through the supposedly empty place, causing Mithos to hide behind the Chosen.

"There are monsters in this place too? ..." Mithos uttered shakily as Emil's emerald eyes narrowed, his hand quickly going for the sword sheathed behind him. Richter rolled his eyes, obviously getting annoyed with the two boys. "Of course; this is all for the trial that the Chosen must undergo. Were you not aware of this before you foolishly decided to follow her?"

Now this ticked the teen off. "Listen you!" he pointed at the mercenary with a sudden roughness in his voice, shocking the other two that were there. "I don't know what your deal is, but there is no way that I am letting myself be humiliated by some damn mercenary who thinks he knows everything!

"I have my eye on you. Marta means everything to me and Mithos. So if you do anything, or plan to do anything funny to her … I won't hesitate to CUT. YOU. UP. Got that?" he growled, jabbing his finger at Richter's chest as emphasis for each word. The tension in the air was very thick between the two; it made both Mithos and Marta want to shrink to the ground. Richter simply tch'd as he shoved the teen away from him, said teen stumbling to the ground as he headed for the middle path of the temple. "I don't have time for this." He muttered. "The Chosen has yet to receive the Oracle. And if you two will keep continue to keep delaying us then we'll just have to leave you here."

"HEY! DON'T YOU IGNORE ME!" Emil shouted at him, before he caught something the redhead threw at him. It appeared to be a book. "Your swordsmanship is unrefined. That training manual will help you out." He said without bothering to look at the still enraged teen. Marta was torn between following Richter and trying to calm down Emil. After all, it had been a long time since she and Mithos had last seen him like that.

"Chosen, are you coming?" The man's voice reached her ears as she looked up to see him already near the stairs that led to the lower regions of the temple. His face had an unamused look as he waited for his client to make up her mind. This look didn't even change when he noticed a group of zombies that suddenly appeared and surrounded the three.

The trio, meanwhile, due to this sudden appearance of this group of zombies, quickly fumbled for their weapons; Marta having to activate her spinner, Mithos looking his kendama that mysteriously displaced itself (it was usually strapped to his back for convenience), and Emil, still sour from his squabble with Richter, trying to focus on the monsters in hand, instead of the monster that was near the stairs. Once one of the zombies started moving, so did the swordsman, using himself to give time to his other companions to get into a better position to fight. Seeing the young swordsman rush in so recklessly made Richter want to just ditch him in order to teach him a lesson, but…

"…" Richter retraced his steps, slowly unsheathing his sword that was situated on his left hip, the blade gleaming ominously despite the minimal sunlight that entered the temple. Once the sword sat comfortably in his hand, the mercenary wasted no time chopping up the zombies that were in his way before he could actually reach the three kids who were struggling slightly with their foes due to being ambushed. Emil continued to buy time for Mithos and Marta, Mithos in the process of calling in a spell, Marta looking for a Magic Lens or two to check on the information they could get that could help them beat these zombies up, having noticed that simply attacking them wasn't enough.

"Ah!" she exclaimed. "Zombies are weak against fire spells!" Mithos, their resident mage, nodded his head as he heard of this, and quickly went upon casting a Fire Ball for the zombie Emil was still struggling with. It was ridiculous really. If Emil tried to move away from the zombie, said zombie would immediately make its way toward Marta, and she already had her hands full with the others coming their way. "Go! Fire Ball!" Mithos called out, his kendama shining as mana filled it, and released itself as spheres of fire toward the creature. Emil had to duck as the balls of fire crashed into the zombie, burning its already rotting flesh away as it decomposed into nothing but ashes.

_Heh, _Richter thought, _so they actually can handle themselves. _Seeing the three suddenly having the upper hand on the battle, the man sheathed his sword back, having done part of his work in this battle. He stayed where he was instead, deciding to watch them handle this on their own. He noticed that Emil would always be on the frontline, while Mithos, observing that he was more content in casting spells, stayed at the very back, with Marta situating herself in the middle area, acting as the young blonde's second guard, or Emil's frontline support. It was quite a sight for him to see that these three have already had a battle formation planned out.

Once all the monsters have been exterminated, Richter strode towards them, bringing out three Apple Gels. "Eat this." He said, giving the gels to each one. "You'll need that strength of yours later on. Like I said, the monsters here are all part of the trial that the Chosen must go through." Looking at both Emil and Mithos, he added "If you can't even stand on your own two feet without fainting, then I strongly suggest you leave."

_Colette damn it… _Emil thought as he begrudgingly ate the medicinal gel.

* * *

><p>After retrieving the Sorcerer's Ring from the lower portions of the temple, followed by a little fight on who gets to wear the ring (it was decided that Marta were to wear the ring, much to Mithos and Emil's disappointment), they finally went to the top of the Temple of Colette, where the altar stood still as it basked itself under the holy light that came from the heavens, giving the people who were to witness this event that the time for the Chosen's journey has come.<p>

"This is it?" Emil asked while putting a hand on his hip as his initial idea of the altar being grand-looking was dashed. Richter couldn't help but continue to stare at Emil in disappointment, while Mithos could only shake his head towards his friend, muttering a 'you get bored so easily'. This action was cut short however, when the elf took notice of something shining.

"Hey, Marta, what's that?" Mithos asked, pointing at the red gem that seemed to be floating in the light. "Oh, that's my Cruxis Crystal." Marta replied, clasping her hands together "It's apparently a sign that says that I'm the Chosen. They say that when I was born, I had it in my hand."

"Was that how it went?" Emil asked no one in particular, tilting his head. He then heard a noise. It was the sound of… flapping wings? He looked up, green eyes widening in awe as he saw another light, this time in the form of a sphere, coming down the stream of light that shone on the altar. "L-Look!" was all he managed to say before the ball of light burst, and changed its form into something that resembled a human.

But of course, it wasn't a human. It couldn't be a human to begin with. The man donned green and white robes, bearing the insignia of the Church of Colette. He also had a matching hat that went with it. Though that wasn't what made the man not look like a human.

He had wings. He had feathery, white wings on his back, flapping gently as it helped him stay afloat as he appeared in front of the group. There was a barrier of silence between him and the group, eyelids slowly opening as the being finally spoke, crystal blue eyes shimmering under the light as he looked upon them.

"I am Remiel, an angel of judgment" he said to the group before he turned his head to look at the lone girl in the said group. "I am here to guide Marta, daughter of the mana lineage, on her journey to heaven as the seventh Chosen." The angel then descended a bit more, as if to be on the same level as them. "The time has come to awaken the Goddess Colette, who sleeps at the center of the world."

The gem that was previously ignored suddenly started glowing brightly, approaching Marta. While Emil's eyes grew wide with worry, the girl just seemed to be calm, even closing her eyes as the crystal approached her collarbone. She didn't even stir as it attached itself to her skin; lines of gold snaking out of it as it made itself 'comfortable' around her neck, creating the appearance of a necklace. After that little scene, the area suddenly started shaking.

"What the-?! An earthquake?!" Mithos stammered, trying to balance himself despite all the shaking. Remiel's voice, however, was louder than the rumbling. It seemed to add an effect to what he said next.

"From this moment, Marta becomes the Chosen of Regeneration. We of Cruxis bless this event, and hereby bestow the Tower of Salvation upon Sylvarant!"

The rumbling finally stopped, to everyone's (even Richter's) relief. The angel then pointed outwards, where the Tower of Salvation had made its appearance. The two boys were in awe.

"So THAT's the Tower of Salvation!" Emil exclaimed, not bothering to hide his amazement.

"Now the world will be saved!" Mithos added, jumping in place.

Remiel then looked once again at Marta. "Marta, the Chosen of Regeneration. Unlock the seals that guard the Tower of Salvation and climb its stairs to heaven in distant lands. We of Cruxis shall grant you the power of the angels with each seal you unlock. Once you are reborn as an angel, this eroded world shall be regenerated."

The girl nodded her head. "I swear on my life that I will regenerate the world."

Finally, the Chosen's journey will start.


End file.
